This invention relates in general to suspension systems of motor vehicles, of the type automatically providing hydraulic adjustment of the vehicle height or ground clearance, and wherein the spring proper may be of pneumatic or metallic construction.
In many countries traffic regulations require that vehicle bumpers be kept at a minimum height above the road surface. Now, with a suspension system of the type broadly defined here-inabove and after prolonged standing of the vehicle, the unavoidable hydraulic leakages cause the suspension to yield or collapse and therefore the bumpers to assume a position below the minimum prescribed level.
A known proposition for solving this problem consisted in providing means for blocking up the suspension system, which comprised a special insert adapted to be locked, notably in the form of a pawl and ratchet device, but this may be regarded as scarcely suited for the purpose, due to the considerable stress implemented, not to mention manufacturing cost and reliability factors.